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+---- Thread: medicine for the dead (/showthread.php?tid=11073)
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medicine for the dead - Isla - 04-04-2025
Isla, to the eyes of the good and the righteous, has rescued Everest Hart, pulling him out from under the influence of The Family and the clutches of the void. She's done something kind and brave and necessary, bringing the world one tiny step closer towards balance.
She's also ruined both of their lives.
Having left her clinic in the very capable hands of the other medics and healers present, Isla hasn't been home for days, preferring to sleep in the molten fur of a tigress and to spend her days on the wing, feathers straining against the gales that whip around Apopo. Only this morning finds her on her own two feet, bare toes on the hot stone as she strolls the coast and the hot, churning waters below.
Unglamoured, her tail flicks at her heels for balance as she hops from one warm boulder to another, approaching a cluster of plants that look as if they might hold molten pineapples, if she's lucky. The sky overhead is hazy with the blush of sunrise, marred by blooming clouds that suggest a storm is on the way.
RE: medicine for the dead - Remi - 04-06-2025
Remi’s arrival on Apopo is born more of love than necessity. Ronin’s sweet tooth has never been subtle, and after the weight of recent days—weeks, really—Remi finds that his hands need something to do. The molten pineapples that grow here, near the smouldering cliffs and boiling waters of Torchline’s volatile north, will caramelize perfectly for the dessert he’s planning for the Knight.
He’s crouched low by a thicket of glowing, heat-slick leaves, carefully coaxing one of the fruit free, when a familiar flash of pale gold and blue catches the corner of his eye. His head snaps up immediately, brows furrowing as he stands. Remi straightens fully, abandoning the fruit for now, and begins to make his way over toward the Remedy. [say]"Isla?"[/say] His voice is soft, threading through the humid air as he quickens his pace until he's only a few steps away.
His expression is already tight with worry, seaglass eyes scanning her face, her posture, the space around her. [say]"How is...everything?"[/say] It's perhaps an unhelpful question but gods if he isn't entirely where sure to start, so Remi offers out his hand to her for comfort as much as so he might feel everything she can't quite put into words if it's easier.
RE: medicine for the dead - Isla - 04-07-2025
Barefoot and in the same sundress she'd been wearing on her last outing with Ever, even if it looks much worse for wear these days, Isla has also been reaching for a ripe looking pineapple to claim when her name hits the air. Glancing sharply around, she relaxes at the sight of Remi, but only fractionally, straightening up and self-consciously smoothing out a streak of ash on her dress. [say]"Hey, Remi,"[/say] she mumbles, tucking a wild lock of hair behind her ear, threading it through the ribbon of topaz that makes up her horns.
[say]"I don't really know how to answer that question,"[/say] she says quietly. Or rather, she does - everything is terrible and it's all their fault - but that doesn't make for a good conversation. As his hand reaches for her, too, she shrinks back, shaking her head softly to indicate that she'd prefer if he didn't feel what she did right now. Some feelings aren't meant for sharing, and selfishly, she wants at least that for herself.
[say]"I've been spending some time out here,"[/say] she says, as if it isn't all too obvious. [say]"Ever has gone back to Stormbreak."[/say]
RE: medicine for the dead - Remi - 04-08-2025
Remi’s hand lingers in the air for a beat longer, suspended in that small, aching space between what he wants to offer and what she’ll allow. But when Isla pulls away, he doesn’t press. He only nods once—gentle, understanding—and lets his arm fall quietly back to his side. [say]"Alright,"[/say] he says softly. It’s a loaded word, one that acknowledges far more than it seems to; the refusal, the distance, the pain he isn’t permitted to carry for her this time. It stings, if only because he loves her so much, but there’s no judgement in his gaze. Only a depth of affection she likely doesn’t want to meet right now.
He shifts slightly on the uneven ground, glancing at the thicket she’d been reaching for, then back to her with a tired smile that never quite reaches his eyes. His gaze sweeps over her again, more carefully this time—not as a medic would examine a wound, but as a friend watches someone they’ve known too long not to notice the little cracks. The way the dress hangs off her frame. The exhaustion in her shoulders. The fact that her horns are bare of any glamour. [say]"Was it…bad?"[/say] he asks, softer now. Not just Ever’s reaction, but the moment itself. The aftermath. What it’s done to her.
RE: medicine for the dead - Isla - 04-09-2025
Fretting with a loose thread on her dress as if to give her hands something to do, Isla can only bob her head in a grateful nod as Remi doesn't push the issue, the Remedy inhaling a long breath and letting it out again. Abandoning thoughts of the molten pineapples or any hunger curling in the pit of her gut, she takes a step away from the thicket and casts her gaze out towards the churning sea nearby, using it as an excuse not to have to hold Remi's gaze. Being looked at with love right now might just topple her over the edge.
[say]"Devastating,"[/say] she murmurs in response to his question, but with the strange calm of a person who has seen too much devastation to really know how to react to it any more. [say]"I was about to just... become one of them, when you showed up. No one seemed bothered about curing Ever, and I was tired of feeling wrong about it. And then..."[/say] Then Remi had shown up, of course, and here they are.
[say]"He wouldn't look at me. He shifted into a dog before he left. I've ruined every bit of happiness he fought for while he was capable of it, and now..."[/say] She shrugs helplessly. [say]"All I have to show for doing the right thing is being alone again."[/say]
RE: medicine for the dead - Remi - 04-10-2025
Remi listens, his expression unreadable at first, save for the subtle tightening of his jaw and the way his thumb rubs absently against the edge of his palm. He lets the weight of her words settle, lets them steep in the space between them. But when she says it—I was about to just become one of them—something in Remi goes very still.
[say]"You were going to infect yourself?"[/say] he echoes, quiet but sharp-edged, like the scrape of a knife against stone. [say]"Gods, Isla."[/say] His gaze finally breaks away from the horizon to look at her fully, something cold and shaken bleeding through his usual composure. [say]"I know what it is, to love someone so much you’re willing to be ruined for them, but you—"[/say] He exhales harshly, dragging a hand through his curls. Out of anyone Remi knew no limits when it came to what he would or wouldn't do to be with his husband, but Isla was not one he'd ever known to be so reckless. [say]"You know what Dahlia could’ve done with you. With your knowledge. With your access. With the people you care about."[/say] The implication is unspoken but pointed: Flora. Mateo. Ronin. Even me. All would be easy targets for the Family with Isla's ability to take out the Bastion for good and to cripple the Knight because of it.
[say]"You did the right thing,"[/say] he says eventually, voice lower now, a little hoarse. [say]"Whatever was going on in Ever’s head when he left, it’s still a thousand times better than what he’d have felt if Dahlia had told him to hurt someone you loved. Or worse—told him to kill you."[/say] Remi takes a small step forward, his shoulders tense beneath the thin fabric of his shirt. [say]"You saved him. You saved both of you, even if he can’t see that yet."[/say] Even if you can't, either.
He glances down, one hand flexing at his side as if aching to reach for her again. [say]"Don't give up on him yet."[/say]
RE: medicine for the dead - Isla - 04-10-2025
[say]"Don't,"[/say] Isla says, perhaps snapping without intending to and dropping her gaze to the craggy rock beneath her feet, her fingers continuing to work at the fabric of her skirts. [say]"Of course I know what she could have done. She could have done that with me without needing me infected, though, and we both know it."[/say] With Ever having been in the Family's pockets, one threat to his life, one whisper for him to do something too dangerous to walk away from, and Isla would have sung like a canary regardless. [say]"I was just tired of feeling terrible around someone I loved."[/say] And watching everyone else be cured.
Smoothing out her dress as if realising she's at risk of fretting a hole into the fabic, Isla finally lifts her gaze back towards Remi as he steps closer, her eyes red rimmed and her expression hard. [say]"I'm tired of doing the right thing, too,"[/say] she admits in a whisper. [say]"Being forgotten by you was the right thing. Going to the Cordillera to do what The Voice wanted was the right thing, for the Ascended in any case. Walking away from Sunjata was the right thing, and so is this, and it makes no difference to me any more."[/say]
As for not giving up on Ever, she scoffs out a mirthless laugh. [say]"In his shoes, even if he ever recovers from this, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near me. And I don't blame him for it."[/say]
RE: medicine for the dead - Remi - 04-13-2025
Remi flinches at her don’t, the sound brittle and raw enough to stop him in his tracks. He doesn’t move closer this time. He doesn’t even breathe for a second, just watches her fingers fret at her skirts like she’s trying to unravel herself from the outside in. Still, when she says someone I loved, his eyes narrow faintly, the echo of the word catching between his ribs.
[say]"Loved?”"[/say] he repeats, voice softer now, like the word itself is something fragile that might fall apart if he touches it wrong. [say]"Is it past tense already, then?"[/say] There’s no accusation behind it, only quiet heartbreak and the tiniest trace of disbelief.
As Isla lifts her gaze, rimmed red and full of things she won’t say, Remi’s hands curl into loose fists at his sides, not in anger but helplessness. He’s the Bastion, a shield made by Mort, and yet all his strength feels utterly useless here. There’s no battle to fight, no damage to absorb, no void monster to kill. Just Isla; cracking down the middle in a way he doesn’t know how to hold.
Remi's jaw tightens as he drags a hand over his face, exhaling shakily. [say]"But Ever—has he said that? That he doesn’t want to be near you?"[/say] Remi’s gaze holds hers, boyish but strong. [say]"Or are you deciding that for him before he’s had the chance to speak for himself?"[/say] Whether or not Everest was capable of speaking for himself was another matter entirely.
RE: medicine for the dead - Isla - 04-13-2025
[say]"Not like that. No - of course not,"[/say] Isla says quickly, shaking her head. [say]"I was just talking about the past. Of course I still love Ever. It's why I did what I had to do, even though I knew what it would cost us both."[/say] Tucking a lock of hair behind her ears as the sea breeze tries to snag it, Isla lets out a long and shivery breath, suddenly wanting to set the whole grove of molten pineapples alight, if only she wasn't sure they'd thrive in the heat of it.
[say]"He hasn't said anything,"[/say] she agrees, the words heavier than she'd like them to be, her arms folding tightly across her chest. [say]"I don't know if he'd be able to talk to me even if he wanted to. And I... I can't be the one to approach him. You get that at least, right?"[/say] she says, gazing up imploringly at Remi. [say]"After being the cause of all this hurt, I can't go up there and bother him in the one place he might actually feel comfortable. The most I might do is write a letter..."[/say]
Whenever she feels capable of trying to put this mess into words. Sighing once again and rubbing at her forehead, Isla clears her throat. [say]"Sorry, Remi. I'm really shitty company today."[/say]
RE: medicine for the dead - Remi - 04-13-2025
Remi’s shoulders ease the moment she clarifies, but the tension doesn’t vanish entirely. It just shifts, lodging somewhere deeper in his chest where he’ll carry it for her, even if she won’t let him touch it directly. The sea breeze tugs at her hair and he watches the small gesture, the lock tucked behind her ear, the sigh that follows it, and he aches with the sheer familiarity of her.
[SAY]"No, I get it,"[/SAY] he says quietly after her voice drops. He nods, not in empty agreement but in real, grim understanding. [say]"But also...I mean, if he's going through a crisis, maybe it feels like you've just left him to weather it on his own."[/say] Ruffling a hand through his curls, Remi shakes his head as he softly sighs. [say]"Maybe Mateo can offer more insight, but..I think the damage done by reaching out when it isn't wanted is far less than how it might feel to him if it comes across differently."[/say] If it reads as abandonment, rather than understanding.
His gaze softens as she goes on, his brow furrowing faintly. [say]"You never need to apologize about that to me,"[/say] he murmurs, stepping a little closer now. [say]"Shitty company or not, I’d rather be here with you than anywhere else right now."[/say]
RE: medicine for the dead - Isla - 04-13-2025
Feeling some part of her uncoil and relax to at least be validated that she's doing the right thing to some extent, Isla bites at her lower lip and drops her gaze once again to Remi's feet as he continues. She nods, slowly and sadly, at a point very well made. [say]"You're right, of course. I... perhaps I'm not giving him enough credit. He was just so... closed, when I last saw him."[/say] Which isn't wrong, she realises, but simply different to the man she's known and loved for the past few seasons.
[say]"I'll write him when I get back to Haulani,"[/say] she decides. [say]"That way he won't have to worry about reacting or responding straight away. And I can let him know I'm here if he wants to see me."[/say] Almost hating the way she feels better from just that crumb of a plan, Isla looks ruefully back towards the Bastion. [say]"Than anywhere else?"[/say] she says with a dubious raise of her eyebrows, before seeming to succumb at last to his presence, her arms opening for him.
[say]"It doesn't feel as bad as it did before you got here,"[/say] she warns. [say]"But I'm still not a great hug right now."[/say]
RE: medicine for the dead - Remi - 04-13-2025
Remi’s smile is small, but real, and the moment her arms open he’s already stepping into them. He doesn’t hesitate—not with her—and his embrace is firm but careful, wrapping around her like he means to shield her from the worst of it, if only for a few minutes. He tucks his chin lightly against the top of her head, breathing in the smell of ash and sea salt and Isla.
[say]"That’s alright,"[/say] he murmurs, the words warm against her temple. [say]"I’m not here for a great hug. Just your hug."[/say] It’s not the first time she’s told him something like that, and it won’t be the last, but Remi never expects her to be anything more than what she is in the moment. It's a lesson hard learned over the past few years, but at least it seems to have finally sunk in.
His thumb strokes lightly along her back, a quiet rhythm meant more to soothe than anything else. [say]"And yes, more than anywhere else. Currently Ronin is rebuilding the portion of the Northaven he tore apart and let me tell you, it's probably best I'm not there."[/say] Grinning boyishly, he shrugs softly against her.
RE: medicine for the dead - Isla - 04-13-2025
Isla mumbles something affectionate that nevertheless sounds suspiciously like shut up, Remi, the words incoherent against his shoulder, and she winds her arms around him in turn to hug him close. Guilt roars out of her like a distant storm at sea, roiling and unsettled and tinged with the sharp upset at not being around a loved one, no matter the circumstances, and she tucks her head into the crook of his neck. [say]"Good. I'm here for your hug too,"[/say] she mumbles, her spaded tail swaying low as she relaxes.
[say]"Oh? Are you telling me that all of these years of renovations haven't made you into a master at construction?"[/say] she asks, raising a skeptical eyebrow and peeping up at him, a smile threatening on her lips. [say]"Or do you just not want to be a part of the project?"[/say] she wonders. Undoubtedly Ronin has probably taken the bulk of the repairs on himself as the one who caused the damage, but even so.
RE: medicine for the dead - Remi - 04-13-2025
Remi huffs a quiet laugh, the sound low and affectionate in his chest as she curls against him. He shifts just enough to press a kiss into her hair, anchoring her against the tide of whatever storm is still tugging at her. [say]"I am excellent at building things,"[/say] he murmurs with mock offense, though the twinkle in his eye makes it clear he's not about to start listing credentials. [say]"But I’m not excellent at letting Ronin build things in his own way without hovering."[/say]
The self-awareness is dry, honest, and a little wry, and he nudges his nose gently against her temple. [say]"Besides, he’s taking it seriously. There’s…care in the way he’s doing it. And if I stuck around, I’d probably just end up kissing him in a pile of splinters and ruin the whole thing."[/say] His grin is boyish and lopsided, clearly not all that sorry about the idea.
He leans back just enough to glance down at her, his arms still wrapped loosely around her waist. [say]"So I thought maybe I’d bring him something sweet later. Get a few good kisses without dust in my mouth, hence the search for some pineapples."[/say]